Watts, Women's Team Earns USTFCCCA Honor
7/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Outdoor Track
FORT WORTH, Texas – Sam Watts and the TCU women's track and field team garnered All-Academic honors by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Watts, a native of London, England, put together a strong junior campaign, which featured four All-America nods over the 2015 indoor and outdoor seasons. In his first 200-meter dash of the indoor season, he posted a then world-leading time at 20.69 seconds. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, he finished eighth in the event to earn First Team accolades.
Watts competed in three events (200, 4x100 and 4x400) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. He ran the second leg of the NCAA runner-up 4x100 relay at 38.59 seconds, a time that ranks sixth all-time at TCU. He wrapped up his season by qualifying for the 200-meter final at the British National Championships.
He was also named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 First Team in May.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have met at least one of the following athletic standards:
- For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org.
- For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships (including preliminary rounds).
The women's team brought five to the NCAA West Regionals and advanced Brianna McGhee to Eugene after a record-setting performance in the 100-meter hurdles. In the prelims, she ran a lifetime best of 13.10(w) seconds and in the finals she won her heat behind a wind-legal and school record 13.24 to punch her ticket to the NCAA Championships.
The women's team also placed four on the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 teams: Judy Emeodi, Makaila Flannigan, Arin Rice and Megan Smith.
To earn the distinction as an USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, a team must have earned a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or higher.
